“If I had to pick somebody to replace me on the Supreme Court, it would be Frank,” Scalia said.

Easterbrook, 67, a Buffalo native, and Scalia first met as lawyers in the Ford administration. They also were both on the University of Chicago Law School faculty before President Ronald Reagan tapped them to be judges.

Easterbook delivered the inaugural “Scalia Lecture” at Harvard Law on Nov. 17, 2014, lauding his pal as a fellow originalist, who relies on the intent of founding documents.